Now that Vivid Sydney 2025 is on the horizon, get ready for the most imaginative, thought-provoking and visually stunning festival yet. From 23 May to 14 June, Sydney will transform into a dreamscape of surreal experiences and captivating events, as we explore this year’s theme: ‘Dream’. 

Expect breathtaking new light installations, global and homegrown music talent, visionary ideas and unforgettable dining experiences. Whether you want to be mesmerised by cutting-edge digital art, dance to a new beat or indulge in a once-in-a-lifetime feast, this year’s festival promises something for everyone. 

Here’s what’s new in 2025

Light

Vivid Sydney’s iconic Light Walk returns, illuminating the city with boundary-pushing installations, immersive projections and interactive displays. This year, expect a bold new vision across five festival zones including first-time collaborations, new technologies and an invitation to submit your work and see it projected as part of a community-made artwork. 

Colour the City at ASN Clocktower 

Sydney’s skyline becomes a tapestry of the city’s creativity with this massive user-generated artwork. For the first time, festivalgoers can submit their own designs for a chance to be showcased in a vibrant, ever-changing display projected onto the historic ASN Clocktower. A celebration of the community’s imagination, this installation puts the city in your hands – quite literally. 

House of Romance: Dreams Collide at Customs House 

Fashion meets light art in a Vivid Sydney first. Iconic Australian fashion label Romance Was Born has partnered with creative studio Super Giant Live to turn Customs House into a dazzling couture-inspired dreamscape. Expect surreal, high-fashion fantasy brought to life in this breathtaking projection.

The Lucid Dream Collective at Challis House 

Renowned multimedia creatives Moment Factory make their Vivid Sydney debut with an immersive light experience that uses AI technology to create a mesmerising collage of human faces. This dreamlike projection will transform the façade of Challis House, marking Martin Place’s return to Vivid Sydney (last appearing in 2018). 

Stem at Cadmans Cottage 

Technology takes centre stage in this groundbreaking projection that responds to your voice. Stem brings a growing tree animation to life through sound, allowing audiences to actively shape the artwork in real time. A cutting-edge fusion of art and generative technology, this Vivid Sydney first redefines interactive storytelling. 

Bloom at Argyle Cut 

For the first time since 2018, Argyle Cut is back as a Vivid Sydney location. This year, Bloom by Eggpicnic will illuminate the historic tunnel with a vibrant, nature-takeover, celebrating biodiversity and the beauty of Sydney’s flora and night sky. There’s also an immersive Augmented Reality (AR) element; scan a QR code to see falling pollen and exploding mushroom spores as you walk through the space.  

Fantasmagoria at Bond Building 

For the first time, the Bond Building will be illuminated by Belgian studio Dirty Monitor, known for their immersive and surreal light creations. Fantasmagoria will transform the facade into a dreamlike ode to the power of books and stories. 

Cygnus at Nawi Cove 

This breathtaking water-based activation by Loomaland will see luminous, otherworldly swans gliding across Nawi Cove, their movements casting waves of colour and light onto the harbour. A poetic fusion of nature and technology, this dreamlike installation is set to be a showstopper. 

Lumina Dreams at Barangaroo Metro Gardens 

Barangaroo Metro’s garden is another new location for the festival in 2025. Lumina Dreams reimagines real-time meteorological data with vibrant, pulsating light, creating an ethereal oasis within an oasis. 

Music

Vivid Music 2025 brings more international voices, legendary collaborations and new ways to experience live performance to Sydney. This year, the festival expands with more global sounds, unexpected artist pairings and a spectacular new opening night event. 

First Light: Live 

Kicking off the festival with a bang, First Light: Live is the all-new, free opening night concert on the harbour showcasing the best First Nations talent from around the world. This epic live music experience will bring together an exciting lineup of artists including DJ Rona, Kaiit and Canada’s Snotty Nose Rez Kids. 

Tumbalong Nights goes global 

This year, Tumbalong Nights will feature seven nights of international artists performing in their native languages – the most ever showcased for Vivid Sydney. Expect electrifying sets from highlights including Stella Jang (South Korea), Zaeden (India), Dobet Gnahoré (Ivory Coast), and Gabriele Poso (Italy). Plus, you can experience the first-ever mass choir event at Tumbalong Park with Vivid Sings! Be sure to check out the rest of the Tumbalong Nights program, 23 nights of free music on this outdoor stage.  

Vivid Sydney Supper Club reimagined 

Vivid Sydney’s favourite late-night cabaret den gets a revamp. Vivid Sydney Supper Club at Mary’s Underground now features a different celebrity host each night, curating themed performances that range from Broadway showstoppers and Aussie anthems to country classics. Expect high-energy performances and intimate, cabaret-style surprises hosted by the likes of Angela Bishop, Luke Carrol, Amber Lawrence, Mark Humphries, Tom Cardy, Alex Lee, CJ Johnson, Chloé Zuel and Ryan Gonzalez.  

Ideas

Vivid Ideas 2025 pushes the boundaries with fascinating events, thought-provoking discussions and brand-new collaborations that offer fresh perspectives on culture, technology and creativity. 

Stranger Things: The Experience 

Step inside Hawkins Lab and battle the Upside Down in this immersive adventure at Luna Park. Inspired by the hit Netflix series, and fresh off the back sold-out runs in the US and Europe, this hands-on experience brings the world of Stranger Things to life for the first-time Down Under. 

Firetalk on the Light Walk 

Experience intimate, fireside discussions right on the Vivid Light Walk with First Nations poets, writers and songwriters at Firetalk. Presented in partnership with Sydney Writer’s Festival and curated by Jazz Money, the event is set against the flickering light of the Bon(d)fire installation.  

Haus of Horror

For the first time, Vivid Sydney and Haus of Horror transform the former Sydney Burial Ground at Sydney Town Hall into a cinema. The hauntingly historic site will host a series of chilling, immersive screenings featuring cult horror classics in the city’s spookiest new screening location.

Dream Logic: Four Films by Antoinetta Angelidi

A milestone for Australian cinema lovers – Vivid Sydney and Golden Age Cinema presents the first-ever screening of Greek filmmaker Antoinetta Angelidi’s mind-bending experimental films in Australia. A must-see for cinephiles and avant-garde enthusiasts alike. 

Sydney Writers’ Festival x Vivid Sydney

A first-time powerhouse partnership between two of Sydney’s most exciting festivals, this collaboration will bring together world-renowned authors, journalists and cultural commentators for a series of compelling events including a talk with sleep expert Professor Matthew Walker and a night of powerful stories of change with an extraordinary lineup of writers.  

Food

Vivid Food 2025 returns bigger, bolder and more immersive than ever. With precinct-wide takeovers, first-time collaborations and new culinary storytelling avenues, this year’s lineup is a dream.

Nigella Lawson’s Vivid Sydney Dinners

For the first time ever, the beloved British cook curates an exclusive menu inspired by NSW produce – served in the atmospheric Martin Place Metro’s Muru Giligu tunnel. The first event to take place in this new location, this unique dining experience blends food, architecture and Nigella’s signature charm. 

Hollywood Dreaming 

A full precinct takeover of Hollywood Quarter in Surry Hills, this festival long event promises neon-lit laneways, cinematic projections, themed food and drink offerings, gigs and street parties. 

Dreaming Skies: A Culinary Journey with Dwayne Bannon Harrison 

A high-flying dining experience like no other, this activation is the first of its kind in the soaring Infinity restaurant in Sydney Tower. Expect First Nations storytelling, native ingredients and a menu that connects land, sea and sky. 

FoodLab Sydney 

Vivid Sydney partners with FoodLab for the first time, giving emerging refugee and migrant chefs a platform to showcase their culinary talents. Over three exclusive dinners, discover bold, authentic flavours from some of Sydney’s most exciting new chefs and their homelands. 

Vivid Fire Kitchen 

Sydney’s hottest food event returns – this time with a theme, ‘Fire and Spice’. Expect bold, fiery flavours from top pitmasters, international BBQ legends and local favourites in this smokin’ celebration of fire cooking. 

Luke Nguyen’s Dream Mist at Botanic House 

Renowned chef Luke Nguyen makes his Vivid Sydney debut with an atmospheric dining experience blending Vietnamese cuisine and immersive light art inside the Botanic Gardens. A feast for the senses. 

Native Food Experience at Parliament House 

For the first time ever, this Vivid Sydney dining event will take place inside NSW Parliament House. And to mark another first, it’s during a parliamentary sitting. This rare experience will showcase native ingredients and First Nations culinary traditions in an iconic setting.